Hold On Tight
by DC111
Summary: I forced myself to a sitting position, pushing past the dizziness and discomfort along the way. My insides were screaming in agonizing protest. I knew I was critically injured. "But you still can’t kill me, can you, Merlina?"
1. Tension

**Note (7/29/09): Story has been reloaded as three separate chapters due to its length. I guess 30-page walls of text tend to bother people, so hopefully having it divided will make for a more pleasant reading experience.**

**Note (9/24/09): Stop telling me that Sonic's usage of _big words_ in his narration of this story is out of character. He says OVERZEALOUS in Sonic Rush and ASPIRATIONS in Sonic and the Secret Rings. Go read those scripts and THEN message me if you still think my interpretation of Sonic is out of character for being more verbally inclined than you. ~_0  
**

**Disclaimer: **everything Sonic belongs to SEGA. If Sonic belonged to me, these stories of mine would be in a game by now – oh wait, this one IS in a game. Heh. But in all seriousness, Sonic and co. all belong to SEGA and Sonic Team, along with the plot of Sonic and the Black Knight. You know how it works.

**Rating: **T for descriptive violence, injury, and potentially hard-to-understand themes (for a younger person, anyway).

**Author's note: **This one-chapter story is based on Sonic and the Black Knight's grand finale. It was typed for the primary purpose of capturing Sonic's personality and capturing the sheer intensity of the final battle. This is not only about holding on to your resolve even in the most difficult and hopeless circumstances, but holding onto the moments you have while you can – both aforementioned facts being the reasons behind the title, _Hold On Tight._ All I really did to _change _it from the game (with the exception of a _few_ lines of dialogue that weren't there before) was add more depth to it, the focal point of that depth being Sonic himself.

Opinions from the readers are awesome. I'd love to hear what people think of this, or even constructive criticism if you have any; improving one's writing skills is a never-ending journey.

Enjoy.

*SPOILER WARNING: Sonic and the Black Knight final boss/ending.*

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_You think you know yourself. You think you know what you would do. And then the circumstances worsen to a level you couldn't even imagine…_

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There she was.

Standing in front of her self-proclaimed throne was Merlina, the innocent-faced wizard girl who had summoned me for help. Only… it wasn't the kind of help I'd planned to give. What I had originally seen was a desperate request to help her find the 'sacred swords' and stop the Black Knight, and naturally, I agreed. But now I could see the bigger picture.

I had been used.

It wouldn't be the first time. Still… although I'd been kept in the dark while I searched for those swords, the fact remained that I _did _gather them. And I did unintentionally help Merlina get to the point she was now at: a position of power.

It wasn't my fault, so I didn't place blame upon myself for it all – there was no way I could've known her real plans, right? But that didn't stop me from feeling like I should do something to turn things around. Not because of any sort of guilt, but because that was just how I rolled.

I was almost positive Merlina wasn't willing to go down without a fight – it was never that easy – but I figured being passive at first wouldn't hurt. Maybe I could get her to see reason.

I walked – yes, _walked_ – forward, staying relaxed so she would see that I wasn't about to make a move. My sword, though, was clutched firmly in my right hand, just in case. The sounds my shoes made against the cold castle floor as I went echoed in the silence.

Reaching the foot of the steps, I came to a stop and made eye contact. We stared each other down, and neither of us looked away. She wasn't as timid as she had first come across to be. After a moment, she blinked. Nothing significant; just a normal blink. I smirked at her and said, "You lost the staring contest."

She laughed once under her breath, probably because she thought I was oblivious to the danger I was in. People got that impression a lot. I was starting to figure out why; who jested if they _knew _circumstances were dangerous?

"I've been expecting you," she said. She was smiling, but there was gravity in her voice.

I shifted my weight to one foot, getting comfortable. It didn't look like she wanted to resort to violence, either – not yet, anyway. "Just one question before we settle this." Although I spoke gently and tolerantly, I didn't wait for her to nod in permission before continuing; I wanted her to know I didn't need her approval to have my say. "Why'd you do it?"

Something happened to her eyes. She knew she had betrayed me – was it guilt? I waited for her answer, but her mouth stayed closed, so I pressed on: "I mean, weren't we trying to _save_ this kingdom from the underworld?"

She sighed, and I realized that what I had seen wasn't guilt at all – go figure – but something akin to depression. Her face fixed itself quickly, though, and revealed nothing after that. In a distant voice, she began to explain, "This kingdom will fail one way or another. Such is its fate."

That confused me. If the kingdom was going to end either way, then… what had been the point of trying to save it in the first place? Why was she suddenly so pessimistic? I wanted to ask, but I decided to hold my tongue and wait for elaboration.

"Do you know what is to become of this kingdom?"

"Beats me," I said, and shrugged. How would I know?

Merlina stood from her seat and began to walk towards me. I could see clearly now that she had transformed. The magic of the sacred swords had altered her physically, and she had power; power that I realized I didn't know how to access. Thinking ahead, I wondered how I could even the odds if need be, or if I could at all. The Chaos Emeralds, of course, didn't exist here in Arthurian times – or if they did, I hadn't come across any of them. So that idea was about as useful as a lighter in a burning building.

I stood my ground as she stopped at the top of the stairs, looking down at me. It annoyed me a little, being looked at that way, like I was inferior.

"Lancelot and Gawain's rift shall doom the Round Table. Arthur is struck down by his son, Mordred, and departs for Avalon." She paused, and I said nothing, digesting her words, trying to understand what it all meant. "This… was to be our ideal world," she clarified. "But it will not last. King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table will end in ruin."

"Hm," I muttered, acknowledging that I was listening. When she continued, her voice sounded disapproving.

"The King Arthur my grandfather created led to nothing but mistakes…"

"King Arthur… the hologram?" I interrupted. Merlina nodded. She had used that hologram to trick me into helping her. She had made me think King Arthur was malevolent, while_ she _was the one doing the dirty work all along. Though I searched for it, I couldn't find any remorse in her eyes. She had no regrets. I was an object to her.

That was a level of selfishness I hoped I would never understand.

"…But I can succeed with the power of the scabbard, creating a kingdom that never ends…!"

I knew I looked calm as her gaze again focused on me, but looks were so deceitful. My blood was _boiling_. Not only had she taken advantage of me, but she was prepared to endanger the people of Camelot – of her own _kingdom_ – just for the sake of seeing what she wanted to see!

Merlina backed up her vow to succeed with a display that proved her abilities true. I watched her hold up the flower she had picked earlier in the week. It was wilted; dead. Then, an orb of light enveloped it, and its color returned. It straightened up, able to support its own weight once again.

_A kingdom that never ends… _As I watched her impressive spell, her words echoed in my mind. An eternal world, ruled by an egocentric and young wizard. It would eventually fall into chaos again, with Merlina abusing that kind of power. It wouldn't work out! It would only make life miserable for the people that were still left.

Even if it _did _come to an end soon… wouldn't the people rather have something short-lived and pleasant than eternal and torturous?

It was a question I really shouldn't have had to ask myself. I knew the answer. Besides – nothing was _meant_ to last forever. Therefore nothing should be _forced_ to. It just wasn't natural, and it would cause more problems than it would solve.

Eggman used to use living, flesh-and-blood creatures to power his robots. That hadn't been natural, either, and it could have messed up a lot of things on our planet. If it had been allowed to go on… if Tails and I hadn't stopped him… sometimes I wondered where it would have eventually gone to. The food chain would have been interrupted, making many species go extinct. What would that have led to in the long run…?

I pushed the vague curiosity away from my mind. I would never know what the alternative would have been for my world, and frankly, I realized, I didn't really want to know the alternative for _this _world, either. Mother Nature had its ways of dealing with things. Nobody else was supposed to intervene.

I looked up at the wizard before me, trying to see the Merlina I thought I had known. She just wasn't in there. I wanted to try to get through to her, to explain my side of things – or at least, part of me wanted to. The other part of me wanted to stop her, right here and now, before things got out of hand. Attempting to meet the demands of both, I reached out toward her.

"What good is a world that goes on forever?"

Merlina's head dipped, but I had caught on enough to know it wasn't out of shame. "My sorrow at its ruin runs deeper than the depths of the underworld…" As she spoke, I swore I heard her voice crack, and unlike her, I was human enough to feel sympathy for someone else's pain. I actually _did_ feel sorry for her for a split second, despite the fact that she felt no sorrow over betraying me _or _her kingdom.

She lifted her head again, and there was real, genuine sadness in her eyes that reinforced the dismal tone in her voice. I pushed away the sympathy I felt; I knew I couldn't let this happen, even if she thought her actions were justifiable. I reminded myself of the self-centered motives behind Merlina's plan, and how this would end up if she succeeded. My heart quickly began to pound in anger and determination, and I realized I wanted to finish this now.

She shook her head in disbelief. I guessed she expected me to show more pity than I did. I wondered why she would expect that; she certainly had no pity on anyone else. "Do you _not _understand?"

"No!" I said clearly, being palpably honest, my voice rising above normal volume for the first time since I'd reached the castle. "And I don't want to!"

She wasn't expecting an assault, and I knew it. I leapt into the air almost too fast for her eyes to follow and raised my sword high. Hesitation made me stop half way down, though; something had pinched inside. I realized what immediately: while I was accustomed to attacking robots, I _hated_ hurting anything that was capable of feeling pain.

The moment's deliberation was long enough for Merlina, and she did _not _hesitate.

I collided with something that hadn't been there an instant ago. For a second, all I saw were sparks flying from the tip of the sword. It was like I was stuck there, the sword grinding against the shield Merlina had conjured – and then I was thrown backward.

I threw my arms down hard, making the impact easier on the rest of my body as I hit the harsh ground. Somehow, I managed to keep my grip on my weapon.

Merlina's voice was suddenly fierce. "Your efforts are futile!" Those words… I heard them so often. But this time, they actually seemed to mean something. I could sense an empty or pointless statement when I heard one, and this was not empty. She had confidence in those words.

Although I had a collection of clever comebacks in my mind, I didn't use any. No time. I pushed off the ground and hurled myself at her again, swinging violently, this time actually intending to land a strike. If that was how she wanted to play it... I would comply.


	2. Resolve

All the sword struck was the barrier. It was like it came up automatically when I got too close. I continued stabbing wildly. It would get weaker if I gave it enough hell, right?

Wrong. Completely wrong. Her magic thrust me against the ground forcefully – harder than last time – and I skidded backwards on my stomach. It hurt. New scrapes began to bleed through my fur.

"N-no way…" I cringed. Had I seriously just gotten owned that badly twice in a row? Something only vaguely familiar tugged at my insides, and I realized it was apprehension. Uneasiness. With the outcome of my battles against Eggman being so predictable, I hadn't had a reason to be scared in a long time. But this wasn't Eggman.

I lifted my head, and my vision was blurry. Mere yards away, Merlina glared daggers at me. Something, some sort of aura I guessed, began to form around her. It was a bright blue… maybe fire? I blinked, trying to see it clearly.

"_Sonic!_" My sword shouted at me. Oh yeah, Caliburn. I forgot he existed sometimes, even though he was always in my hand. He pulled himself and my hand off the ground and above my head.

"Caliburn!" I said, surprised. Usually _I _was the one making the moves, not him. Then I realized he was using himself as a shield and decided to keep my mouth shut.

At the same time I spoke, Merlina's club-like weapon came slamming down, striking the sword so hard I felt the vibrations run up my arm. It made me want to collapse. Merlina hadn't even given me a chance to recover from the last blow, and now I had to hold back this thing!?

"Fool! A knight must always be on his guard!" Caliburn scolded. I thought I _had _been on my guard. I ignored him and looked on ahead, trying to focus my swimming vision enough to find a weak spot. I knew I only had a few seconds.

Merlina's new form wasn't fire; whatever she had transformed into was solid and formed around her body. Its body almost took on the form of the black knight himself, but not quite. With the ridiculously long limbs and eerie blue glow, it also reminded me of Perfect Chaos… only worse. It was monstrous and breathtaking at the same time.

And I could find no weak spots.

There was harder pressure as the thing put more strength behind its attack. I pushed against with Caliburn. My knees wanted to buckle and I felt weak at the core. I didn't understand it! Why had it taken its toll so fast? Even when Eggman managed to get lucky a few times, it was never this hard. Was Merlina _that _powerful?

_Well, I suppose a refreshing challenge is better than feeling like I'm in some predictable video game._

Holding her back felt like trying to move an immovable object. I groaned with the effort. Just as it almost became too much, Merlina brought her arm down swiftly through the air, her weapon mimicking the motion. Then something I didn't expect happened.

Caliburn snapped in half and landed on the ground in two pieces.

"No—!" I gasped. For a few tense, long seconds, the room was completely silent. Both Merlina and I looked at the broken sacred sword in incredulity. I didn't believe it; I had never thought a sacred sword was capable of breaking. And as I looked up at her, glaring, and saw my inward shock mirrored in her face, I realized she hadn't either.

Something inside me crumpled a little.

_Caliburn…_

In the end, I never had any idea how much that irritating steel blade could've meant to me. His constant criticizing, and our heated disagreements, and his repetition of the word 'fool' until it no longer sounded like a real word… where in that mess did we ever form anything remotely close to a _bond?_

Even as I questioned it, distant yet vivid memories pinched at my obstinacy. Wisecrack exchanges, playful threats, subtle but increasing respect for one another…

_"It is you, sir, who lacks the proper fighting skills."_

_"Well, it's your fault! You're a sad excuse for a teacher!"_

_…_

_"Heh, if you fall, Caliburn, I'm not going to pick you up!"_

_"You had better _not _drop me!"_

_… _

_"Don't worry! I've got one of the great sacred swords…"_

_"Of-of course! It's about time you figured that out!"_

_"I'm going to make this look easy. She won't know what hit her. You know… I've gotten pretty used to you, too."_

_"That is exactly what I told you not to do…!"_

…

"NOOOOOO!!"

I cried out in rage on Caliburn's behalf and threw myself right at the Queen of the Underworld, attacking with empty hands. I was smacked away for a third time. The blow struck hard across the side of my chest, breaking ribs and inflicting the kind of pain you'd only expect to come from a smoldering piece of coal. I skidded across the ground on my back. I wanted to cry out, but for some reason, I held it back.

I got back up and started weakly forward. No choice.

It came at me, not even giving me time to get close, and I knew there was no avoiding it. The sound was like thunder as strike collided with body again, landing in the _exact _same spot where the ribs had broken. My eyes went wide and my mouth opened, but it hurt too much to even scream. I flipped over through the air as I flew back, and my face slammed against the ground. Skin pulled and ripped. It was still _nothing_ compared to the searing sting in my torso.

Blood ran onto my hand as I reached up and held an open wound on my head. It stung to the touch and I immediately jerked my hand away. I tried to force myself to my feet, but it wasn't happening. I couldn't even see; it was like all the colors in the room had been taken and thrown into a blender and mixed with dirty water. Everything ached. I tried to breathe slowly in hopes that it would keep the broken bones from rubbing against each other. If it made a difference at all, it wasn't enough for me to appreciate.

With the terrible knowledge that Merlina was still right there and that I was in a position of pain and helplessness, it was hard to keep from panicking. It was _hard._ All I could do was lay there and hope against hope that she wasn't cruel enough to kick me while I was down…

Although my heart was pounding frantically in my head, I still heard the dark queen's voice through it, drier than the tundra and just as harsh. It wasn't the 'join my side and I'll ease back' offer that I had come to expect – not that I would give in if that _was _what she had said. I did not compromise. _Ever._ I would die before I submitted to my enemy or betrayed anyone who needed me.

Merlina said, "It is time to end this."

I tensed – it was all I could do in that moment. I was in a pinch and I knew it. In the past, Chaos Emeralds had usually been my easy way out of things. But now… now I was in a situation where I had absolutely _nothing_ to help me, and my enemy did. I had been in this kind of situation once, maybe twice, and it had been ages ago. It had also been against Eggman, who'd only had machines to aid him, not potent magic. Not to mention… this time, I had no one to back me up. Caliburn was finished. I was alone in this.

And I didn't know how much more I could take.

I had never, ever been in a position like _this _before. As I realized how bad things had gotten, I suddenly remembered one of those old proverbs. I had no idea why, especially since it wasn't incredibly clichéd; just one of those things that stick in your head whether you make a point to remember it or not.

_Character is who you are when no one's looking._

I guessed that made sense. When nobody's around, you don't have to look good or honest or selfless, or whatever you want others to see you as… and so you just act like yourself. I never tried to put on an act _anyway._

All the same, there was nobody around unless Merlina counted, and I didn't count her.

All thought of the saying quickly faded out of my mind and never came back; I was too close to unconsciousness to retain it. It took a few seconds longer for me to come to completely. When I did, I began to push myself up, ignoring my body's demands.

Before I even realized what was happening, I heard myself scream. I was hit twice before it registered that I'd been hit once. The first blow was the most painful, smashing across the entire right side of my body and thrusting me across the room. The next ones landed before gravity had a chance to yank me back to the ground. But they hardly seemed to sting at all; it was like my body had blocked my senses.

I didn't even feel myself land, and that was usually the worst part. That scared me; was I going to pass out for real this time? I couldn't. Then it'd be over. Merlina would be able to do whatever she wanted. I had to get back up. I _had _to get back up…!

"Sir Sonic," a voice called, and I realized it was Percival. Had the Knights of the Round Table just arrived? "Sir Sonic, you've done enough!"

I hadn't even _begun_ to stop Merlina. Not one blow had gotten past her shield. How could Percival say I'd done enough? I needed to keep fighting!

"Sonic, there is no point in continuing!" Lancelot hollered, his voice almost angry. I realized that I was almost standing up again. My hand was shaking as I pushed against my knee. I didn't know how in the world I'd managed to get that far.

I couldn't filter out the strain in my words – words that had once come out of Caliburn's mouth – but I said them anyway, smirking grimly at the cruel irony: "A knight… n-never flees… his foe… right?"

Nobody answered. That was fine. The answer was clear enough without being spoken.

Merlina was merciless. I couldn't believe how much she'd changed; how far she was taking all this. As she raised her hand up again – the one holding that little flower – horrible, horrible dread pulsed through my veins and tightened around my stomach. I had no second thoughts about what I'd said, but… that didn't mean I wasn't afraid.

_Not again… wait… _

The words were on the tip of my tongue. I made them stay there. I'd learned not to mind admitting it to _myself_ when I was scared, but nobody else needed to hear it. That side of me was only for my own mind. Besides, letting it show would only make everyone else more apprehensive, and that wouldn't help anything. They needed to have faith in me. They needed to stop trying to convince me to quit. I could win this.

If I could survive it.

I tried to dodge Merlina's attack as it came at me, but against that kind of raw power, even my speed couldn't help.

"_AAAGGHHHHHH!_" The strike, hard enough to leave a burn mark, thrust me straight up. I felt myself slam head-on into the ceiling and then crash back to the floor. It took less than five seconds. The sound of the impact echoed off the walls. The echoing continued in my head even after the atmosphere was silent. Or maybe it was the panicked, furious pounding of my heart. I didn't know.

For several seconds, I just laid there. It felt good compared to everything else. I wished I could lay there for longer. Or maybe go to sleep, give in… escape it all…

I forced myself to a sitting position, pushing past the dizziness and discomfort along the way. My insides were screaming in agonizing protest. I knew I was critically injured.

_But you still can't kill me, can you, Merlina?_

The thought hopped across my mind in a brief flash of confidence, and in that instant I very much wanted to speak it right to her face and see her reaction. As soon as I opened my mouth, though, Gawain's loud voice cut through the air, a frantic warning: "This no longer has _anything _to do with _chivalry_! Get out of there! _RUN!_"

For what felt like the millionth time, I got all the way up from the floor. Completing that simple task hurt more than anything had so far… but I didn't even consider listening to him. It just wasn't in my nature.

I wondered where Gawain had shouted from, or if I'd be able to respond loudly enough for him to hear me. Couldn't he see the hypocrisy in what he'd said? _He _was the one who had always thought it to be about chivalry – heck, he had almost committed suicide because he thought he had 'failed his king.' But _me…_

"It was… never about chivalry for me…" I heard myself say. In that moment, I was proud of the resolve in my voice. Gawain must've heard it, too, because he didn't say another word. This was my fight, and I wasn't fighting for pride or heroism. And I _certainly _wasn't fighting to look like a good knight.

Merlina's eyes locked onto mine. Like before, I didn't look away. Like before, neither did she. But there was disbelief in her eyes.

It would wear off. There was no point in getting cocky now; she would attack again. I braced myself, ready to take it. What Lancelot had said sort of clicked then, and I began to wonder if – realistically – there _was_ any point in continuing. If there was no way to stop her like this, then would trying to attack only cause me more pointless pain? _Was_ it stupid to stay here and fight?

_It doesn't matter._

My brows creased downward as I said, to the others and to myself, "I just gotta do what I've gotta do – that's _all._"

_I have to try. I'll hold on 'til the end… even if it doesn't end right._

Merlina _scowled_ at me. I'd never seen her scowl; until now, her face had been devoid of nearly all emotion. She raised her hand up again, a monstrous limb mimicking the motion, about to strike again. I didn't move or flinch. Maybe I couldn't avoid what was coming. Maybe I couldn't even win. But like before, I wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of seeing me falter under her hand… and I sure as hell wasn't going to make this easy for her.

Then it happened. Out of nowhere, something huge and gold descended, crashing down around me like lightning. It was hot and blinding. I closed my eyes, preparing for the worst, knowing by now what to expect.

Nothing struck.

There was a sudden gasp, and then an awed exclamation: "The long lost light of the sacred swords!" It was Nimue, the Lady of the Lake. Realization finally dawned then: Merlina had never gotten the chance to finish her attack. The power surrounding me… it wasn't Merlina's magic, but something just as potent. Instead of a threat, it was something for me to use.

The sacred swords…!

Hesitation gave a slight pull at my mind. I hadn't forgotten what Nimue had said when we first met…_"Whoever defeats King Arthur and takes his scabbard… might end up turning out the same way, right?"_ I mulled over that rhetorical question. If I used the swords' power, would I turn out like he had? And like _Merlina_ had?

Nah.

I looked at the glory surrounding me, taking it all in. Through the golden rain between us, Merlina's angry expression caught my eye. "Well, you weren't fighting fair," I muttered, and it felt satisfying even though she probably couldn't hear me. I felt upward pressure, like something was trying to stretch me and make me taller, but it was more encouraging than forced. I caught on and relaxed, letting the energy around me lift me off the ground.

I sighed, relishing the relief. Finally, the tables were turning; I had outlasted the odds. Now things were where they should be. Now… this could be _fun!_


	3. Destiny

Huge chunks of gold formulated in the air around me, and I realized that they were parts of armor. I felt myself go higher into the air. Something began to happen to my body. It was different than Chaos transformation, though I wasn't sure how. It was more of a tingling feeling, like when your foot falls asleep from being sat on for too long, but it was strangely comfortable.

As the transformation proceeded, I actually _felt _open wounds seal themselves back together, and cracked ribs quickly mend themselves. It was one of the weirdest things I ever experienced, but it was amazing when it was over. It was like Merlina had never even managed to land the first hit. I felt up to par and then some. It was incredible. It was as if I'd been holding my breath for an eternity, and now I was finally allowed to release it.

Just as I began to wonder if those chunks of armor had changed their minds and decided to just float there, the lowermost pieces came towards me and locked around my legs. I nearly jumped in surprise; they were almost as fast as me! Following it came the lower body plate – which I knew would also hit _between _the legs – and that time I _did _jump, but for an entirely different reason. It wasn't as jolting as I'd anticipated, though. The armor seemed to know what it was doing. Good thing.

Good thing.

In anticipation for the next addition, I lifted my arms out to my sides. The response was fast; before I knew it the arm pieces had locked in place. Then two golden, hollow quills snapped onto my back, as if they'd been molded to fit my own, along with the breastplate. Lastly: the helmet, magically extending itself to compensate for the spikes.

The handle of Caliburn was still in my hand, and as I looked down at it, I realized I wasn't the only one with my wounds healed. A perfect, sharp blade was formulating where Caliburn's old blade had been before, and the pair of eyes on the handle looked up at me, very much alive.

Now it was _his _turn.

I thrust the sword out in front of me, and as I had willed, something amazing took place: like the vibrant explosion of a supernova, a huge flash enveloped the blade and transformed it. When I was no longer blinded by the brightness, I looked down.

Excalibur had been born.

"Whoa…" I breathed, and for the first time, I felt I understood the significance of holding a sacred sword. It was gold, huge, and unbreakable… and one of the coolest things I would ever witness.

"That's the greatest of the sacred swords," said the Lady of the Lake, her voice like faint background music compared to everything that was taking place. I'd already figured _that _one out.

I was in a trance of awe, and it wasn't until the light faded away that I turned my attention back towards my foe. Looking her straight in the eyes, I got myself focused, smiled, and said, "Let's do this!"

Suddenly, the area we were in disappeared, and we were in some sort of open space. It looked like a distorted sky, and I realized Merlina had used her powers to give us battle space. If she was intimidated, I couldn't tell. Her glare was cold, unforgiving, as she said, "You would never understand… nor could you understand. That's why I must do what I must do. I am finished with you."

"I've had about enough of you, too," I retorted, rising up to meet her. But again, I had sensed that dark confidence in her words. She was not quitting. I suddenly got the feeling I hadn't seen everything yet; she still had more up her sleeve.

After everything that had happened in the last twenty minutes, I was _sick _of her dealing the attacks. I sped forward, the air blowing out of my foot armor mysteriously supporting me, and reinforced my grip on Excalibur. It was _my _turn!

She responded with equal impatience, launching forward several magic orbs. I'd counted on that; a smart foe always had at least one long-distance attack in addition to close ones. I'd seen plenty of the close ones – a little too much for my liking – but the orbs were new.

They rushed towards me, looking extremely shocking – literally. I swept past them, slashing away the more intruding ones with Excalibur, and continued gaining on Merlina.

It was impossible to tell whether or not she was coming towards _me_ at the same time. With the environment around us nothing but a dark vortex, there was nothing to compare her to. Either way, it all happened a lot faster than I expected it to; in a matter of seconds, we were within fifty feet of each other. I blasted forward at full speed in an attempt to strike… but I didn't go anywhere.

That shield again.

My first urge was to hack away at the thing and destroy it once and for all, but I had tried that several times already and wound up virtually pulverized. Why repeat past mistakes? Then again, I was stronger now. Maybe I could break through this time…

Something came towards me. One, two, three… four orbs. I glided to the left, letting them zip past me. I realized as they did that they had pushed through the shield to reach me.

If she kept doing that, she would break her own defenses without even realizing it. Though I was anxious to attack, I told myself to wait; it would be worth it in just a few seconds…

More orbs burst through the shield, and moments later, it shattered like glass. I gave myself a mental pat on the back for being patient and bolted at her before she had a chance to fix her mistake.

Now there was nothing between us… except that huge, club-like weapon that she seemed to love so much.

_Not this time!_

As she swung it at me, I rushed forward to meet it. It occurred to me sometime in that three-second journey that I had no idea if my plan would even work. But I didn't care.

I slammed Excalibur out in front of me as hard as I could. The two weapons collided with eardrum-shattering impact. Neither weapon claimed dominance; both were powerful enough to stop the other's blow but not powerful enough to plow through it.

As we held each other's weapons back, she made use of the moment of mutual safety to speak. "You're very cocky when you think you're winning," she said snidely. "I doubt you're like that when you're _losing_. None of them are."

In a vain effort to stall her long enough to get my response out, I drew on the power within me and pushed harder, matching the tension behind her bludgeon as it pressed against mine. "Feel free to… make that judgment _yourself_. You… already saw me in the losing position."

I decided not to listen to whatever she was going to say next, if she had planned to say anything. This wasn't a battle of words! I withdrew without deliberation and, seeing the opening I'd been looking for, went for the monstrosity's center.

The feeling of plunging something sharp into something vulnerable was immensely satisfying after an eternity of hitting that rock-solid barrier. I yanked the sword back out and thrust it down again, piercing and slashing fast and forcefully. I held nothing back. What I was hitting, I didn't know; but it was completely unguarded and vulnerable, which meant it was good enough for me.

Merlina pulled herself away, and in a flash I was by myself again. For a split second, Excalibur sliced through nothing but atmosphere, but my mind figured it out and reacted fast. I blasted forward, trying to catch up to her before she could put her shield back up. I just barely succeeded.

She continued to back away from me, not letting me leave her sight. I knew she was trying to get far enough away to block me out again.

At least, I _thought _I knew. So when she sped at me, swinging all those oversized limbs like they were whips, I was more than a little surprised.

My reflexes were undeniably quick, but with sorceress-level magic on her side, she was able to manipulate the movement of those limbs the split-second she saw me try to dodge. They stretched out and followed me as I jerked away, like magnets. I couldn't get away.

They closed in on me fast. I stayed cool and did what I could think of in the moment: stopped and focused on the energy within, harnessing defensive power.

The assault was way easier to take than I'd expected it to be. My _armor _hardly even suffered, much less me! As soon as it was over, I headed towards her as fast as I could. I reached her before she even had a chance to draw her limbs back in. She was completely open.

I dove for points of attachment, slicing areas where appendages were connected to the body. That would slow down some of her attacks. I stopped at one area and swung Excalibur back and forth viciously.

There was a flash of light, and suddenly I went flying backwards, flipping over through the air repeatedly. I steadied myself, but by the time I was all sorted out again, she had conjured her shield. I tried, but I couldn't get through it.

"Your selfishness will bring this world to an end. Is that what you wish!?" Merlina demanded. I almost laughed. _I _was selfish? She was one to talk.

"Nah, it's not gonna end," I told her. "My stories only end when I stop running! Besides… I don't mind being the bad guy once in a while."

She grunted loudly in frustration, and dozens of magic spheres came at me from all sides. I was going too fast to stop and back away from them. Trapped again! I tried to evade, weaving in and out. I'd done that kind of thing before, so I figured it'd work. I almost made it, but I couldn't get out of the way fast enough to avoid the last one. It hit my armor and kept plowing, pushing it into my stomach, forcing me backwards. It was unexpectedly harsh compared to the last attack, but then, I'd been _prepared _for that one.

Since the Chaos Emeralds had spoiled me so much in the past, it actually surprised me to realize I was still capable of feeling discomfort in this form. For some unimaginable reason, though, the idea of being a little bit vulnerable appealed to me. Being _completely_ invincible took away the challenge and made the outcome predictable. I guess I didn't want that.

Merlina proceeded to say something after that, and I found myself wishing she would just shut up and fight. She was too much bark and not enough bite. I listened anyway, but worked my way towards her, staying aware of any move she might have decided to make. I couldn't get distracted.

"You receive hits with dignity and resilience," Merlina acknowledged, "and you try to make sure every hit of your _own_ counts. You're a very experienced fighter, aren't you, oh Knight of the Wind?" The first part of that statement gave my ego a major boost – though I'd flatly deny any smugness if anyone ever tried to get me to admit it – but there was mockery in her voice as she continued on to say my unofficial title, and I didn't like it.

"Yeah, I'm _experienced,_" I told her, equally as mocking. "Why, did you think you were the _first _megalomaniacal god who had the honor of fighting me?" I waited a beat, and her silence was enough to be her answer. I grinned at her. "Oh, you must feel so disappointed now."

Screw caution – I pulled Excalibur above my head and _swung_ at that shield with everything I had. Then I did it again. And again. Merlina was already preparing to do something, but I didn't care. I hacked and slashed like the world depended on it… because it _did._

Just as the shield shattered like glass, something struck me in the head. It hit hard enough to knock my armor against my temple. I recoiled. I was stunned for only an instant; the dizziness went away thanks to my power. But it was still a not-so-gentle reminder that I wasn't invincible. I probably should have paid heed to that reminder, but I didn't.

I recovered and sped at Merlina for what I hoped to be the last time. Beside me, Caliburn – or Excalibur, I should say – spoke for the first time since his revival.

"Don't be so reckless, fool!"

I grinned. It was good to have him back.

The monster's core was straight ahead. She raised its weapon high, winding it up, putting a huge gap between it and me. That meant she'd be able to put more speed and strength behind it than before – _far _more speed and strength. And that was in addition to her seemingly infinite magic abilities.

I realized two things simultaneously in that moment. One: _she_ had used the sacred swords to transform just as I had, and so she had just as much potential as I did. Just because I was powered up didn't mean I had an advantage. It wasn't like Chaos energy, where positive outweighed negative. It was fire against fire.

Two: she was done playing with me. She had tried to get me to understand. She had tried to make me crack under the pressure. She had failed in both respects. Now she was resorting to something she hadn't been quite selfish enough to do a few minutes ago. It was necessary now in her eyes. _The next blow would be meant to kill._

Time suddenly seemed to slow down as the thing came towards me. I had about a fourth of a second to decide: I could run away and let her put her shield back up – an almost guaranteed escape. Or I could dash forward as the weapon descended upon me, and hope like hell I could get past it and finish her off.

The first option would not only allow her to defend herself, but it would give her time to strategize. The second option – if I could make it – would end this for good either way. I would lose or she would lose.

I didn't even need that fourth of a second since I already knew what I was going to do.

So did Caliburn. "Move with haste!" He shouted, but I was already accelerating.

It was as if Shahra, that genie from a while ago, had suddenly appeared and caused Time Break. That was how slow everything seemed. In reality, though, nothing was slower – my mind was just processing it faster. Adrenaline.

I was almost there… almost there! A few hundred feet away, at worst. But so was she. If I could go just a tiny bit faster, her strike would miss, and I would make it to her core…

There was a loud bang as I exploded through the sound barrier. I felt like I'd blasted through a wall of steel and made it out the other side unscratched. The sheer _speed _just burned… but in a fantastic, relieving way. I was going to get there… right in the nick of time, I was going to get there…

I actually screamed as I tore past Merlina's attack, missing it by only _feet._ Almost simultaneously, I raised my comrade above me with both hands and thrust it into the Underworld god. There was such an immense amount of force behind the stab that my hands followed the sword right into its center. I withdrew and plunged again and again and _again_, until the thing was completely disabled.

Finally, I backed up, watched the thing fall in defeat for a second, and launched myself at it one last time, holding Caliburn straight out in front of me. We drove through it and ripped out the other side.

I whirred around in midair just in time to hear her scream.

"AGGGGHHH! But… I… _aaaaggghhh!!_" Her cry pierced the wind as she fell, and her supernatural conjuration literally fell apart. It was over… for her.

Though shaken from the close call, I still had plenty of strength to raise my free hand and give her an extremely cocky thumbs-up.

I couldn't remember the last time I felt as triumphant as I did right then. It was really over. We had done it.

Moments later, when the light blue sky began to peek through the haunting vortex surrounding us, it seemed foreign, like I'd never even seen it before. The last time I'd seen something beautiful was before I had gone into the castle. After that, everything had had a sense of despair and… austerity.

What good would a world like that _be_?

"Our sacred energy is beginning to diminish," Caliburn informed me, interrupting my inner cogitations. "I highly advise that you get back _down to earth_… in more ways than one," he added.

"Yeah, yeah." I let myself drop gradually, directing some of my concentration on maintaining my state of power. He had a point: landing a fall from this height probably wouldn't be the most enjoyable experience in the world. It would be pretty embarrassing to get killed by the _ground _after all the cooler ways I could've died today.

"Your hand is shaking."

I groaned under my breath, but it was more out of reluctance than irritation. "If it bugs you, I can drop you," I said, smirking just a little.

To my surprise, Caliburn chuckled. I didn't know if it was a with-you or at-you sort of laugh, but since it _was _Caliburn, I assumed the latter.

"Adrenaline can do that to you," I said quickly, defending myself before he spat out a remark.

"So can fear, knave."

"Hey, I thought we were past all that knave stuff."

"If you are going to _act _like a knave, then I will treat you as such. A true knight would not try to deny the…"

"Caliburn?"

"Yes?"

"Close your smart mouth. Just this one time."

He was silent – though smugly so – until we descended to the ground. I would never admit it to him, but I probably _had _been shaking for more than one reason. Even though I lived such a dynamic life, it wasn't very often I saw quite as much as I had today, and it'd taken its toll. But hey, it was just another day, right?

I wondered briefly if Merlina's magic could restore the sacred swords' power. If so, I knew I'd have to fight her again. It would be a repeat of everything that had happened in the past hour.

I was ready.

The darkness cleared completely, leaving a cloudless blue sky behind. Upon reaching the ground, I quickly discovered that Merlina had no intentions of trying again.

She was sitting on her knees in the grass, head dipped, looking more miserable and broken than I'd ever seen her. Again, I felt bad for her, despite everything. It was a harsh feeling to have your dreams crushed. But the world as she wanted it to be would never have worked.

I was a distance away from her, so she hadn't seen me yet. I proceeded towards her slowly, peacefully. She didn't look up until I was almost there. I saw that she was surprised. She had not expected me to approach so unthreateningly; not after what she had done to me.

"Merlina…" I said gently, smiling at her. "Every world has its end." Tears formed in her eyes, and the bright sunlight on her face made them prominent. Although she was upset, she was making eye contact with me and actually listening, now that she realized she had lost. Through the despair, there was also an ounce of shame – something I hadn't known if I would _ever _see there.

I smiled, leaned down, and picked a flower that looked like the one she'd had before. "I know that's kind of sad," I sympathized, holding it out to her, "but… that's why we gotta live life to the fullest in the time we have. At least… that's what I figure."

Merlina held the flower I'd given her like a child would hold it, looking at it with interest. Then, as she drew it to her nose to inhale its sweet aroma, I swore I saw a hint of a smile on her face.

She realized the beauty it held, and now… now I guessed she just wanted to enjoy it while it would last, since that was the best she could get.

Only a few days ago, she had asked… "Why do flowers bloom, knowing they are destined to wither?" As I reminisced, I realized I wouldn't have been able to answer her, even if I'd had the opportunity. It was like asking a person why they bothered living when they were destined to die eventually.

And that flower _would _wither… but that was what made it worth looking at. If that flower were to last forever, it would be taken for granted. Soon, it would have no purpose at all; it would be so familiar that its magnificence no longer mattered.

I wondered if Merlina truly understood that now.

The rest of the knights would show up in a few minutes, I knew. I sat down on the grass, deciding to just relax until then; to breathe in the air that was still crisp and fresh, to look up at the sky that was still blue. I didn't worry about the problem of getting back to my own world. That was such a trivial issue compared to everything else that had just been overcome. Besides, if Merlina couldn't send me back, I would find my own way… just like nature found its own way and like this world would find its own way.

A few feet away, a flower petal rebelliously pulled away from its plant, drifting freely through the wind. It was unconcerned about what it was leaving behind and unconcerned about any past difficulties. It didn't know where it was going and it didn't care. All that mattered was the present. As I watched it grow infinitesimally smaller, I smiled, just living in the moment.

Everything was perfect.

_Take a look inside your heart;_

_What once seemed impossible_

_Today is not._

_So many ways that you can try to forget…_

_So many ways, you'll find, wake up to regret…_

_Some day, one day, we'll say 'live life,' I know._

_Hold on, hold tight, don't let go…_

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A/N: I have to say, I don't think I have EVER enjoyed writing a single story or chapter of a story more than I enjoyed this, and that is really saying something. I had a fantastic time doing this, and I'm very proud of it. I hope everyone else liked it as much as I did.

I put an insane amount of effort and a ridiculous number of hours into this, and I watched the game's cutscenes several times just to make sure everything was accurate. If you find any major inconsistencies (aside from the parts I added) or just something that just doesn't seem right to you, it would be appreciated if you let me know.

Thanks for reading my interpretation of SatBK's ending. I would _love_ if you reviewed and told me what you thought of it.

~DC


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